I had worked a 12 Saturday night. I started having contractions around midnight but they weren't regular at all. I went in the bathroom and checked my cervix, and it was still like 2-3 so I decided to ignore them. I started having some bloody show, but I thought, "Well, it's either bloody show or it's bleeding since I just checked my cervix...." so I just went on with the night. By the time the morning came, though, they were getting stronger and I thought to myself that this was either early labor or they'd just pitter out. I went off shift and went home. DH was going to his moms (45 minutes away) with the boys so she could watch them while he studied. I got a little panicky and told him I didn't like him so far away when I was so close to my due date. I told him I really didn't want him to leave but if he had to leave to make SURE he kept his phone with him and actually ANSWERED it when I called him. So he left with the kids and I took a shower. Right after I laid down to sleep, when I was still in that kind of asleep/kind of awake phase, my water broke everywhere all over the bed.

I had been keeping my doppler in the nightstand, so I rolled right over, got it and checked the heart beat for a couple of minutes. It was okay so I tried to call DH to tell him to turn around and come home. Of course he didn't answer his phone. I then called his brother, his brothers wife and his dad all trying to get someone to get in touch with his mom (I didn't have her phone number) to tell him that he needed to call me back ASAP. Finally my FIL answered the phone and said he would call MIL. He did and a couple of minutes later DH finally called me back. He left the kids with his mom and came home. I got all of our stuff together because I had nothing together. My last baby had gone to 40+0, so I wasn't at all expecting to go into labor, much less SROM at 36+6. I called the doc and we left for the hospital about 2 hours post rupture.

We had to go in through the ER and they made me ride in a wheelchair which was ridiculous, but whatever. I also didn't like the doc on call but I knew he'd hardly be in the room so there was no point dwelling on it. One of the first things he asked me was, "So you had a VBAC at HOME?! And WHY did you think that was a good idea?!!" So then I had to go into how obviously I no longer thought it was a good idea since I wasn't having *another* VBAC at home, so could we please just move on with this labor without chastising me, k thanks. Got settled into a room, was 4-5/60%/-3 clearly not in any sort of active labor pattern. I was GBS+ so they let me hang out not really contracting all that much while I got 2 doses of Amp in. After the second dose of amp I was still only 5/70/-3 so they started low dose pit with the goal being a max of 10. 2 hours later pit was on 8 and I still wasn't contracting great (at that time I was 6/70/-3). They put in an IUPC and my MVU's were only like 100. They bumped it up to 10 and I started having moderate variables with each contraction. Oh I had gotten an epidural before starting the pit. (I wanted to take a nap since I had been up for over 24 hours at that point considering I had worked the night before.) So we did position changes and finally an amnioinfusion which seemed to help the variables.

After 3 hours on the pit, my MVU's were finally pretty significant and I went to complete really, really quickly. By 10 pm (13 hours post rupture) I was complete. We decided to labor down for a bit since I was still so high. My epidural had a horrible window on my right and each contraction I was having DH give counterpressure with his fist. While I was complete, the baby still wasn't really descending. He was still at -2. This, in conjunction with the variables, had me a little concerned. I told DH I was worried there was a cord which would be why he wasn't really descending like he should (since we knew my pelvis was adequate) and would also obviously explain the variables (which were still happening, just no longer down to the 80s and 90s). The baby moved down to -1 station finally and the moderate variables returned. This started at like 11 pm or so. The RN was concerned (as was I) so she called the doc.

He decided it was time to deliver like THEN. He said he wanted to use the vacuum to get the baby out (the baby who was still at -1 mind you). They opened the vacuum and got the table set up, etc. He wiped my perineum down with betadine so I figured he was maybe planning on cutting an epis. So he said to me, "I am going to use the vacuum, but it's YOUR job to push!" I wanted to be like "I know I have to push, thanks!" but I didn't care at the time. He said, "Ok, give me a push" while the RN was getting the vacuum set up. So I pushed once and he said, "OK STOP!!!!!" cause apparently that one push moved him from -1 to crowning. He said, "Ok, give me little pushes!" so I gave him a baby push and he said "Ok STOP!" The head was out. The baby had a tight nuchal that he had to cut. Another baby push and he was born. Started screaming right away. A very small first degree and that was it. Delivered placenta. Had some bleeding, but not too much. Baby had to go to special care nursery for obs since he was a little early. My body feels pretty good, although today 3 days later I'm pretty sore all over. It was a pretty easy birth in comparison to my others.

So we named him Julian Zachary. He's really cute, looks a lot like my first born did when he was a newborn. He's 5 pounds, 13 ounces and breastfeeding pretty well. He's also a little jaundiced which I sort of expected since he was early. Here's a pic or two!

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I lift my eyes unto the hills, Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, The Maker of Heaven and Earth. And I'll praise You in this storm and I will lift my hands, For You are who You are no matter where I am, And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand, You never left my side and though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm